Upcoming Frontiers of Science lecture explores connection between stress and health

Upcoming Frontiers of Science lecture explores connection between stress and healthMarch 02, 2006Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

More than half of all doctor’s office visits are the consequence of stress-related problems. Stress has been linked to all of the leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis and suicide. To describe how we experience stress and trauma, how stress produces a variety of important bodily changes and how stress influences our health in a variety of important ways, the Frontiers of Science Lecture Series presents “Listening to the Body: The Language of Stress and Health,” with Joshua Smyth, associate professor of psychology in The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. The lecture will take place Wednesday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Gifford Auditorium.

According to Smyth, although we all have an intuitive sense of what stress is, the relation of stress to our health is much less widely understood or recognized. Smyth and other researchers are conducting cutting-edge research on this topic. Smyth’s primary research area is health psychology/behavioral medicine. His general interests include stress and coping, and the application of psychological principles to health. Specifically, he is interested in the evaluation of psychological interventions (relaxation training, emotional disclosure) as supplemental treatments for chronic illness and the possible mediation effects of cortisol secretion by the hypothaliamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

The Frontiers of Science Lecture Series aims to inform people about recent advances in science and to stimulate thought and discussion about the moral, ethical and societal implications of these advances. The series is sponsored by thedepartments of science teaching, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, physics, psychology, and electrical engineering and computer science; The College of Arts and Sciences, the Renee Crown Honors Program; the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science; the School of Education; the Study Council at Syracuse University; the Office of the Dean at Hendricks Chapel; the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

The next Frontiers of Science Lecture is “The Beginning of the Icehouse World in Antartica,” with Linda C. Ivany. It will take place April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Gifford Auditorium.

For more information on this lecture and the series, contact the Department of Science Teaching at 443-2586. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. Paid parking is available in visitor lots and garages.